March 2012 - "E-book Publishing: Why, Why Not, and How"

"E-book Publishing: Why, Why Not, and How"

Saturday, March 10 at 11:00am

Are you sitting on a manuscript that you know is better than a lot that gets published, yet you don't have a contract? Thinking about putting it out there yourself? Let's consider together the advantages and disadvantages. Then, if you decide to take the plunge, you'll leave our session with clear instructions on how to do it!

Join DFW Ready Writers on Saturday, March 10 at 11:00am for lunch, fellowship, our e-book publishing workshop.  We meet at La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant on Highway 121 in Colleyville. DFW Ready Writers is the local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers, and meets the second Saturday of each month. Visitors welcome!

 

Lee Carver has retired from her globe-trotting life as the wife of a senior vice president of the world’s largest bank. She and her husband have served as volunteer missionaries for six years, while he was a bush pilot in the Brazilian Amazon. Lee managed their home as a free missionary guesthouse.

Lee lived in six foreign countries and studied nine languages. She has taught biology and chemistry, served as volunteer church music director and organist. She currently works with homeless women in Fort Worth, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, and sings in the choir. Her current interest in publishing e-books and formatting for others makes use of her finely critical eye for detail.

The Carvers, married forty-four years, have two adult children and five grandchildren.

Join us as we welcome these upcoming speakers:

• Ronie Kendig - "How to Write Rapid-Fire Fiction" (April)
• Margaret Daley - "Great Hooks" (2-hour seminar, June)
• Golden Keys Parsons - "What Makes Christian Fiction Christian?" (July)
• Leann Harris - "Defining Your Characters" (August)
• Gina Conroy - "Blogging" (September) 

February 2012: The Secret Life of Pansters

The Secret Life of Pantsers—Magic Tricks and Delightful Games

Presented by

Kathleen Baldwin

Pantser: (pant´zər) 1: she who writes by the seat of her pants

Why do you write the way you write?  Are you a frustrated Pantser living in a Plotter’s world? What do your brainwaves have to do with it?  Come explore how your creative mind operates.  Plotters and Pantsers alike will benefit from Kathleen’s tricks, tools and delightful games that make a writer’s life easier.

Did you know Pantsers are hardwired differently than Plotters?  Take the quiz and find out where you fall on the Pantser vs Plotter scale. Learn why you write the way you write and how to take advantage of your incredible creative brainwaves. 

The writer’s mind is fabulously brilliant, but also temperamental. We’ll discuss ways to care for and protect your “muse” and never lose her again.

 

Good News: Pantsers, you really can have your cake and eat it too--you can excel at craft and yet still hold onto the wild adventure of natural spontaneous storytelling.  Put the joy of storytelling to work for you.  Set yourself free by using post-production analysis magic. 

Kathleen will share several of her ultra-fab, super-secret, story analysis tools.  Every writer needs to be familiar with Swain and Bickham’s scene and sequel story analysis.  Kathleen simplifies it for you.  Learn how Pantsers and Plotters use these analysis tools in extremely different ways to create rich satisfying stories.

Join DFW Ready Writers on Saturday, February 11 at 11:00am for lunch, fellowship and our pantsers workshop, at La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant on Highway 121 in Colleyville.  We are the local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers and meet the second Saturday of each month.  Visitors welcome! We look forward to seeing you there.

Kathleen Baldwin graduated with a BA in Art/Design, and a minor in psychology.  She also accrued enough credits to have graduated in Secondary Education with teaching minors in History and English. This enabled her to work with emotionally disturbed teens using art therapy. Kat loved college and would still be there if it weren’t for the siren call of money. During her college years she participated in groundbreaking studies delving into how the brain functions during the creative process.

Kathleen lives in Texas with her heroic husband of thirty years and their four, mostly grown, children. She is the author of four Regency romantic comedies published by Kensington and is currently writing Young Adult Romance. 

January 2012: Taking Settings to the Next Level

What exactly is setting? Why do you need setting details in your novel? How much is too much? How much is too little? Who cares?

For the answers to these and other questions about setting, come to DFW Ready Writers on Saturday, January 14th, 11:00am as multi-published author Lena Nelson Dooley leads this workshop on setting. Be prepared to participate in the presentation, because not only will you learn about setting, you’ll get the chance to practice what you learn. Bring paper and pen or your laptop, netbook, or tablet that is charged and ready to use. And don’t forget your creativity and imagination. We’ll all journey together across the plains of middle America.

Award-winning author Lena Nelson Dooley has more than 690,000 books in print. She is a member of AmericanChristian Fiction Writers and the local chapter, DFW Ready Writers. She’s a member of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas.

Lena loves James, her children, grandchildren, and great grandson. She loves chocolate, cherries, chocolate-covered cherries, and spending time with friends.  

Her 2010 release was Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, from Summerside Press which recently won the Will Rogers Medallion Award for excellence in publishing Western literature. Lena is currently under two 3-book contracts with Charisma House/Realms. The first book released in October 2011. It’s Maggie’s Journey, book one of her McKenna’s Daughters series.

In addition to her writing, Lena is a frequent speaker at women’s groups, writers groups, and at both regional and national conferences. She has spoken in six states and internationally.

Join DFW Ready Writers at 11:00am for lunch, fellowship and our synopsis workshop, at La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant on Highway 121 in Colleyville.  We are the local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers and meet the second Saturday of each month.  Visitors welcome!

January 2012: The “I hate to write a synopsis!” Workshop POSTPONED

UPDATE:  Sharon Mignerey will be joining us later in the year.  Stay tuned. Meanwhile, join us on January 14th when Lena Nelson Dooley will speak to us on "Taking Settings to the Next Level." Details in a separate post.


Sure some people like to write a synopsis. For most writers, the task is about as appealing as jumping into a frozen lake during sub-zero weather...even though some people like that, too. On Saturday, January 14th, Sharon Mignerey will host this workshop and help participants identify the elements required to put together a solid synopsis. Workshop participants leave with a workbook that provides concrete reminders of the steps and the techniques. In addition to discussing different types of synopses and synopsis conventions, the workshop covers techniques to deconstruct your story so you can construct an effective, clear synopsis.

 Sharon Mignerey confesses to being a dreamer who believes that dreams to do true ... when you’re willing to work toward their achievement.  She knows because it took her 15 years to sell that first novel.  Sharon’s books have won several awards including The Golden Heart, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Colorado Romance Writer’s Keeper Award.  She’s a long-time member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, was named the 1999 RMFW Writer of the Year, and was honored with the Jasmine Award in 1996.   In addition to writing, Sharon is a frequent speaker at local and national writers conferences, which she says is a way of passing along the gift her mentors gave her.  The topics of her workshops range from those centered on craft to the motivational.  When she’s not writing, you can find her happily involved with her critique group of ten years or puttering around her garden. 

Join DFW Ready Writers at 11:00am for lunch, fellowship and our synopsis workshop, at La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant on Highway 121 in Colleyville.  We are the local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers (www.acfw.com).  Visitors welcome!

December 2011: Our Christmas Celebration

Join DFW Ready Writers as we enjoy fun and fellowship in the spirit of the season. Our current chaplain, Margo Carmichael will present a devotional, and our vice-president, Barbara Harrison (who writes as Leann Harris) will use sign language to interpret a Christmas song.

Then our annual gift exchange is back! Bring a gift valued between $10 and $20 and join in the fun and games of gift giving, the DFW Ready Writers way! 

If you haven't visited DFW Ready Writers before, this meeting is a great time to come and meet fellow Christian writers in a easy and relaxed way.  The celebration and lunch begins at 11:00am at La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant off Hwy. 121 in Colleyville.  Please join us!

November 2011 Speaker: Police Officer Doris Whitworth

What's it like to be the modern policewoman?  How has it changed over the last few years?  Join us as Doris Whitworth tells us about her experiences in law enforcement.

Doris Whitworth has been working full-time in law enforcement since 1992.  Doris joined the Allen Police Department in 2000.  During this time, she has worked as a Patrol officer, in the Criminal Investigations Division, as a Juvenile Investigator, School Resource Office and Police Instructor.  

DFW Ready Writers is the local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. We meet the second Saturday of every month at 11:00am at La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant in Colleyville. Please join us!

For more information about American Christian Fiction Writers, please go to www.acfw.com.